Fred C. Cole
American librarian (1912-1986)
Fred Carrington Cole (April 12, 1912 – May 6, 1986) was an American librarian and historian. He was president of the Council on Library Resources and Washington and Lee University. In 1999, American Libraries named him one of the "100 Most Important Leaders We Had in the 20th Century".
Cole was born in Franklin, Texas. He attended Louisiana State University and earned an A.B. in 1934, an A.M. in 1936, and a Ph.D. in history in 1941. He served as editorial associate of the newly founded The Journal of Southern History under Wendell Holmes Stephenson from 1936 to 1941, and succeeded Stephenson as managing editor from 1941 to 1942. He also served as founding co-editor with Stephenson of the Southern Biography Series from Louisiana State University Press from 1938 to 1945 and was history editor of the Press from 1938 to 1942.
Cole served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy from 1942 to 1946. Initially a gunnery officer at sea, he later worked for the Office of the Surgeon General of the United States Navy, where he revised the Manual of the Medical Department (MANMED). He earned a special commendation from the Surgeon General in 1946.
The public source identifies “Fred C. Cole” as american librarian (1912-1986). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Fred, Cole and American.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Fred C. Cole”, the useful work is to connect “american librarian (1912-1986)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q16011546. VIAF identifies the subject as 66293398. The Library of Congress control number is no2008149674. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1912, 1986, 1999 and 1934.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Fred C. Cole”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Fred C. Cole primary sources, Fred C. Cole archive and Fred research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Fred C. Cole”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Fred C. Cole” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.